Charles Grant and Will Smith Suspended First Four Games of 2009 Season

by Saintsational on May 23, 2009 6:00 AM CDT Comment 13 comments

We knew this was coming.

Those Saints fans who haven't been practicing cautious optimism this off-season may have their first scapegoat for the 2009 season in case things go terribly wrong: Judge Paul Magnuson. Magnuson is the federal judge presiding over the suit filed by the NFLPA to overturn the leagues suspensions of Grant and Smith as well as Deuce McAllister, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. Turns out Magnuson is a hard ass who has seen and heard enough. He didn't even need to wait until the June 15th trial date that was previously set and has already dismissed the suit.

"The (league's) policy is unequivocal: players are responsible for what is in their bodies, and inadvertent ingestion of a banned substance will not excuse a positive test result,"

"NFL players are adults," Magnuson wrote. "They are warned repeatedly not to take dietary supplements and that such supplements may cause a positive test for a banned substance."

And just like that, the Saints defense is dealt a costly blow. Don't forget about Deuce either. This makes him much less desirable to other NFL teams.

Serenity now!

Poll

Starting to get nervous about the 2009 season?

No...never.

103 votes

This definitely doesn't bode well.

143 votes

I feel the same.

122 votes

368 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Well, I expected this all along

I don’t think this is right, but it is what it is. I know Deuce won’t probably ever really be back with the Saints, but possibly this could mean 1) tougher time for him to get picked up by another team 2) less expensive to get Deuce under contract 3) maybe the Saints will now sign him!!?? Probably just wishful thinking. I guess it’s basically if Payton wants him, they will get him, but I don’t think he wants him.

by Philinwood on May 23, 2009 7:09 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

This is our year

Nothing can stop us.

However, I’m curious: does this mean that Grant and Smith are suspended until after the fourth game, or does the suspension not start until the first week of the regular season? In other words…are they allowed to attend training camp?

Come home, Stuart...

by MtnExile on May 23, 2009 8:36 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i think

the saints get two extra roster spots, till they return. also they can practice just can’t play in the games

by r c a on May 23, 2009 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The standards on similar start-of-year suspensions in the recent past has been that the player fully participates in the offseason and preseason, but then goes on the reserve-suspended list at the start of the first week (including all practice time). They are not allowed to practice again until the week before their first game back (or sometimes up to two weeks early when the commissioner is feeling generous and it’s a lengthy suspension, usually that’s only for an 8-week one however).

by FriarBob on May 23, 2009 11:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nothing can stop us.

Wasn’t that the last thing Crazy Larry said to Dirty Mary just before they hit the train?

There is nobody so irritating as someone who is less intelligent than us and yet is wiser.

by Tigernut on May 23, 2009 8:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Total BS

A travesty of justice. Players get suspended for using a weight loss supplement that didn’t bother to list all of its ingredients. This blows and Roger Goodell is a tyrant.

Go Saints!!!! Deuce may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

by satchmo26 on May 23, 2009 9:45 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

hold up Satch

This was a mess from the start

The rules say they should be suspended. END of story.

But….. two reasons this might have had a glimmer of a chance to change the outcome were… Duece asked for permission to use them and GOT IT and the NFL KNEW the stuff was contaminated and didnt tell him.

The lawyer i never was saw this and my eyes would have lit up. If I was not a Saints fan I probably would have loved to follow this mess.

I could have made a case both for suspension and against it so I know that this was a fine line to walk and dont envy the judge that had to make the call. That is, if he was a football fan.

by MT_always on May 23, 2009 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

since the NFL knew it contained a banned substance and didn’t tell the players, can they sue the NFL for lost wages for the four games that they are suspended?

by ctalati32 on May 23, 2009 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They can sue anybody

…but winning is another matter. They’d have to prove that the NFL had a legal responsibility to inform them, and acted negligently.

More likely, they’ll sue the supplement company into oblivion. Actually, the New Orleans Saints should sue as well—the players lost money, the team lost the services of the players. Both can easily prove quantifiable damages (in the case of the team, the services lost were roughly equal to what they were willing to pay for them).

Come home, Stuart...

by MtnExile on May 23, 2009 6:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They did.

That was part of the lawsuit that the Williams boys (who were partnered with the three Saints) filed. I imagine they didnt’t get anything though since they ended up getting suspended.

by ReggieVilma on May 24, 2009 5:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

well i’m talking about a financial suit, not one to overturn the suspensions.

technically since the nfl says you are responsible for what’s in your body no matter what, they can suspend the players (eventhough they neglected to tell them it was banned)

but for withholding the information, they may have a case

by ctalati32 on May 24, 2009 4:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is what it is.

Make the ajustments move on. Work your next guys in line their starters now. Grant and Smith have to re-earn their way back as starters if they can. It could turn out to be a possitive thing. Cross our fingers.

by Lyle Lirette on May 23, 2009 1:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Still the Same

Seeing as neither one of them “showed up” at any game last year after getting all that $$$, I don’t see the defense slipping all that much. If anything, their backups can perform up to Smith and Grant’s sub-par level of last year if not better. Maybe they’ll return with a little fire lit under them and start earning all that $$$ they got. And if they do decide to “bring it” this year, well, they’ll be four games fresher (or four games fatter) than everyone else at the end of the season.

Already know you that which you need.

by dicecar18 on May 24, 2009 8:13 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs